Welcome to my "Ask Me Anything" blog post series!
I answer lots of questions on my social media channels, and it makes sense to share this information (anonymously!) in case it is useful for others, too.
"I have a question about a child I am supporting. She has a high level of sensory needs and has a sensory circuit in place, as well as heavy work activities throughout her day. She uses a high level of force when colouring and will keep pushing until she snaps the coloured pencils. She will break the lead and the pencil in half. Staff have been giving her chalk in water, and she loves crushing this and then watching the chalk mix with the water. The issue is that she's getting through so many resources, and I wondered if you had any ideas for other activities. She seems to enjoy the crushing as well as the snapping and will keep going until she gets this. Food isn't an option to be used for crushing, and we've tried sensory popper toys without success."
I think I would first determine is it the item coming apart, so the visual she is seeking, or the hard hand squeeze so the proprioception.
It sounds like with the heavy work you are doing well to meet that proprioception need. Maybe we could think about adding visual dismantling /connecting into that too to see if that helps?
It is tricky with the connecting schema when budgets are tight. I joined our local scrap store to gain access to breakable consumables for a past pupil.
Items that could be good to add to the sensory circuit;
- Bubble wrap sheets to twist and pop
- Cardboard boxes to rip apart and shred
- Plastic bottles to stamp on and crush with feet or rolling over with scooters or bikes
- Fabric to tear and shred
- Tough slime to squeeze and pull apart (Thinking putty brand of slime is usually good for this).
You might find my 'Schemas In Play Training' useful.
I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, let me know.
*I am not a doctor or medical professional, so for some questions, you might want to contact your GP, the National Autistic Society, or the NHS.
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